Apple Rolls Into Reno, Eyes $1B Data Center Bet

Apple is looking to expand its data center empire with a new computing facility just outside of Reno, Nevada.

On Tuesday, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported that Apple is planning to build a data center east of Sparks, Nevada as part of a project that would see the company pump $1 billion into the state’s economy over the next 10 years.

Alongside the other giants of the web — including Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft — Apple is now building its own computing facilities in an effort to keep up with rising internet traffic — and cut down on costs. Like the company’s data center in Maiden, North Carolina and the facility it’s currently building in Prineville, Oregon, its Nevada data center would house Apple’s various online services, such as the iTunes Store, the App Store, and its iCloud data storage and syncing services.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But a company spokeswoman confirmed the plan with the Gazette-Journal. “If approved,” she said, “this project would expand our presence in Nevada and create hundreds of construction jobs over the next year, plus permanent jobs at the data center which will add to our existing total of nearly 400 employees in the state.”

Apple already operates a satellite office in Reno, and according to the Reno Gazette-Journal, the company’s new $1 billion investment would also include a purchasing center in the city’s downtown area.

The data center would be part of a larger park outside the city built specifically for such computing facilities. Steve Polikalas — a Reno lawyer and “government affairs guy” who is one of the principle developers of the campus, known as Reno Technology Park — tells Wired that Apple is slated to be the first tenant, but he indicated that other large companies will be brought in as well.

According to Polikalas, the park spans about 2,200 acres, and about 1,000 of those are intended for data centers. At least part of the remaining acreage will house some sort of renewable energy project.

Polikalas and the rest of his development group are hoping that Apple will be lured to Reno with the promise of significant tax breaks — as is typical when the giants of the web pick new data center locations. According to Polikalas, local and state economic development officials are considering a tax incentive package for Apple, but have not yet given their approval.

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